Parishioners on the Move Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick will be the principal celebrant at the rededication and blessing of the new altar at Blessed Sacrament Church on Clinton Ave. and Van Ness St. in Newark on Sunday, March 2, 1997. The new altar is part of the first stage of renovations that the church is undergoing thanks to its dedicated and active congregants. The 500 families of the church from more than 45 different communities across New Jersey began a fundraising campaign this past fall in order to enhance the worship space, as well as repair the facilities. As a result of their fundraising efforts the church has built a new worship space that will be closer to the people. This included creating a new lectern and altar made out of marble pieces from the previous side altar. The choir section has been placed on platforms to enhance the visibility and sound, and a new sound system will allow the mass and other functions to be taped for the ill or disabled who cannot attend the church. Future renovations include the commissioning of an artist to paint a mural over the worship space and altar to reflect the diversity of the people that make up the congregation and plans to make the church accessible to the disabled. Blessed Sacrament church has been recognized nationally for both its choir, which performed at Giants Stadium during the Pope's visit, and as a church model in ministerial programs. The Blessed Sacrament Gospel Choir has lent to the fundraising efforts by performing at other churches that have donated to the renovation.
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